Midwest Living Review

In 2011, the AAA Indianapolis Indians celebrated their 125th anniversary, making it the oldest sports team in the city. The farm team for the Pittsburgh Pirates proudly touts its 10 players that have become members of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. And visitors definitely get that sense of history in a newer ballpark, which opened in 1996. The new, gleaming blue JW Marriott tower fills the view over left field. The park offers more than 12,000 seats and room for roughly 2,000 fans on the outfield lawn. No matter where you sit, you'll have a great view. Costumed characters known for silly dancing and a roving mascot ready for picture-taking fill the downtime between innings in classic minor-league baseball style. As frequent visitors of Principal Park in Des Moines (home of the Iowa Cubs, the AAA team for the Chicago Cubs), we were surprised a bit at the ticket prices and the lack of kid-friendly activities at Indy's park (no playground and no inflatable bounce houses, though it did have a few carnival-style games for $2 each to play). Adult tickets are $14 for seats and $9 for the lawn; kids tickets are $13 for seats and $7 for the lawn. Fans start lining up two hours before game time for prime lawn seats, but you'll still be able to find a spot for your blanket if you arrive close to game time.